SOMALIA – Fighting has broken out at a main pirate stronghold in Somalia, according to Reuters. At least 17 people have been killed and 30 wounded in battles that broke out on Saturday in Haradheere.
The coastal town has been used by pirates since the break down of order in Somalia in 2007 due to its close proximity to trade routes between Europe and Asia.
It is also possible that the conflict might achieve that which the international naval taskforce in the region has been struggling to manage, a reduction in attacks. One raider told Reuters that:
“We are all members of these two clans, and we are worried that this fight might end up being taken out on to the ocean.”
Since the beginning of 2007 an estimated 18,000 people have been killed and 1 million displaced due to civil conflict in the blighted country.
http://www.reuters.com/article/homepageCrisis/idUSL8084506._CH_.2400
